September Sales: Charts Galore, and a Slow Start For the Midsize Pack

Written by: Blake Z. Rong on October 2 2012 4:30 PM

The Month That Was seemed to slow down a little from the frenetic pace that was August: a month that saw brands like Acura and Volkswagen surge ahead, while BMW and Mazda fell by the wayside. How fickle the world of automotive sales are—BMW reversed its fortunes to slink by into the black, while Mazda got ahead as well. As for Volkswagen, well—they sure like throwing that “record-breaking” phrase around in Virginia, don’t they? And with good reason, too!

Overall, September’s sales are up by around 12 percent, which isn’t anything close to the rollicking, feel-good party that August was (20 percent gains in the Month With No Holidays), nor were the percentage gains as strong as last year. This year, and especially this third quarter, has seen an upheaval in new models: Ford is replacing its Fusion, which hasn’t had a chance to prove itself in showroom floors yet. Likewise with the new Accord, which is just getting things started. Nissan is having trouble getting its Altima ready for prime time; its sales fell 2.4 percent compared to last September, despite a brand spankin’ new midsize sedan that, by all accounts, is better than the last one.

What’s up with Nissan? Expect these three brands to see the impact of their new midsizers during October, closing out 2012 with a strong sales push. As we said, charting automotive sales can be a fickle task.

Brand	September 2011	September 2012	Increase/Decrease	Daily Sales Rate* Increase/Decrease	Best Selling Model
Acura	10,010	14,366	4,356	43.5%	MDX
Audi	9,725	12,302	2,577	26.5%	A4
BMW	21,750	21,761	11	0.1%	3-Series
Buick	13,599	14,673	1,074	7.9%	LaCrosse
Cadillac	12,579	12,741	162	-1.3%	SRX
Chevrolet	147,611	149,801	2,190	1.5%	Silverado
Chrysler	23,559	24,850	1,291	5%	Town & Country
Dodge	40,075	47,356	7,281	18%	Caravan
Fiat	2,773	4,176	1,403	51%	500
Ford	168,181	168,174	-7	0%	F-150
GMC	33,192	33,194	2	0%	Sierra
Honda	79,522	102,845	23,323	29.3%	Accord
Hyundai	52,051	60,025	7,974	15%	Elantra
Infiniti	8,479	9,445	966	11.4%	FX
Jaguar	1,111	1,004	-107	-10%	XF
Jeep	35,565	39,245	3,680	10%	Grand Cherokee
Kia	35,609	48,105	12,496	35.1%	Optima
Land Rover	2,740	3,636	896	33%	Range Rover Sport
Lexus	8,860	12,020	3,160	35.7%	ES
Lincoln	7,018	6,802	-216	-3.1%	MKZ
Mazda	25,521	24,135	-1,386	-5.4%	Mazda3
Mercedes-Benz	21,645	23,156	1,511	7%	C-Class
Mini	3,999	4,899	900	22.5%	Countryman
Mitsubishi	5,803	4,806	-997	-17.2%	Outlander Sport
Nissan	82,462	84,485	2,023	-2.4%	Altima
Porsche	2,170	2,736	566	26%	Cayenne
Ram	25,364	26,414	1,050	4%	Ram
Smart	469	1,030	561	119.6%	Fortwo
Subaru	20,934	27,683	6,749	32.2%	Outback
Suzuki	2,026	1,921	-105	-5.18%	SX4
Toyota	58,237	85,642	27,405	47.1%	Camry
Volkswagen	27,036	36,339	9,303	34.4%	Jetta
Volvo	5,042	4,977	-65	-1.3%	XC60

*Percentages reflect the change in the average number of vehicles sold per day (Daily Sales Rate), and not the difference in actual number of vehicles sold for each month.